How to Copy a Reddit Post Link (App and Desktop)

To copy a Reddit post link, tap the Share icon under the post and choose Copy Link, or, on desktop, copy the URL straight from the address bar. A working link contains /comments/<id> (or, for short links, redd.it/<id>) — not just a subreddit or profile page. Paste that link into curl-x to pull the video, image, or gallery without opening the Reddit app.

This guide is for anyone who copied a Reddit link, pasted it into a downloader, and got "invalid URL" or "post not found" back — on the Reddit app, old.reddit.com, new Reddit desktop, or mobile web.

Key takeaway: Reddit's Share button gives you a link that works. The canonical form is reddit.com/r/<subreddit>/comments/<id>/<slug>/, and short redd.it/<id> links resolve to the same post. Share-sheet /s/<code> links and tracking query strings (?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app) are also fine — curl-x follows the redirect and strips the tracking automatically. What won't work: a subreddit's front page, a user profile, or a search results page — none of those point at one specific post.

Table of contents

• Quick answer: copy a Reddit link in 3 taps
• Which Reddit links actually work
• Share button vs address bar
• Copy links on the Reddit app (iPhone and Android)
• Copy links on old.reddit.com and new Reddit desktop
• redd.it short links and share links with tracking params
• Links that look right but still fail
• Checklist: validate your link in 30 seconds
• What to do after you copy the link
• FAQ: copy Reddit post links
• Bottom line

Quick Answer: Copy a Reddit Link in 3 Taps

1. Open the specific post — not the subreddit feed, not a user's profile
2. Tap the Share icon (an arrow, usually below the post) or the ⋯ menu
3. Tap Copy Link (sometimes labeled Copy)

A working link looks like one of these:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1abcde/some_title/
• https://redd.it/1abcde
• https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1abcde

Paste it into curl-x and it lists the post's media — video, single image, or every photo in a gallery — as its own download. The sections below cover old.reddit, share links, and the mistakes that cause "invalid URL" errors.

For gallery posts specifically, see How to Download a Reddit Gallery.

Which Reddit Links Actually Work

Reddit links come in more shapes than most platforms — old.reddit, new Reddit, the app, and share links all format URLs differently. A downloader needs a link that points to one post, not a subreddit, a person, or a search result.

The post ID is a short alphanumeric string that shows up right after /comments/, or as the entire path on redd.it. That's what curl-x actually parses — the subreddit name, title slug, or a trailing comment ID are normalized away or ignored.

Share Button vs Address Bar

• Share button (app or mobile web) — often a redd.it short link or a /s/CODE share link. Both resolve to the real post.
• Address bar (desktop or mobile browser) — once you're on the single-post page, the URL is already the canonical /r/<sub>/comments/<id>/… form. No resolving needed.

On desktop, the address bar is usually fastest — no share sheet to navigate, and you can see the full path before pasting it anywhere.

Copy Links on the Reddit App (iPhone and Android)

The flow is the same on both:

1. Open the post — tap into it, not just scroll past it in the feed
2. Tap the Share icon (a curved arrow, usually under the post) or ⋯
3. Tap Copy Link from the share sheet

Depending on your app version, this hands you either a redd.it/<id> short link or a full reddit.com/r/<sub>/comments/<id>/… link — both work once pasted into a downloader.

On a comment, the Share icon copies that comment's permalink instead — curl-x still resolves this fine, but tap Share on the post if you meant to download the post's media.

Copy Links on old.reddit.com and New Reddit Desktop

On old.reddit.com, click the post title (or comments) to open the single-post view, then copy from the address bar — it reads old.reddit.com/r/<sub>/comments/<id>/…. curl-x accepts this directly and normalizes it to www.reddit.com.

On new Reddit (reddit.com), click the post to open the single-post view (not the feed hover-preview), then copy from the address bar or click Share > Copy Link. Either way, confirm the address bar contains /comments/ — a feed URL alone (reddit.com/r/sub/) isn't enough.

redd.it Short Links and Share Links With Tracking Params

No manual cleanup needed. The one catch: a /s/CODE share link only resolves if the post it points to still exists — if it was deleted after the share link was generated, the redirect fails even though the format is valid.

Links That Look Right but Still Fail

Sometimes the shape is correct but the post still won't extract — that's almost always about the content, not the string.

1. You copied a subreddit or profile link, not a post. reddit.com/r/pics or reddit.com/user/someone has no /comments/ segment.
2. The subreddit is private or quarantined. If you can't view the post in a logged-out browser tab, curl-x can't reach it either — it uses no account.
3. The post was deleted or removed. A removed post returns no media even with a perfectly formed URL.
4. It's a text post or link post with no media. curl-x extracts what Reddit actually stored on the post; it can't manufacture a video that isn't there.
5. The video is still processing. Freshly uploaded v.redd.it clips can take a minute to finish transcoding.
6. Reddit videos come without sound. Not a broken link — Reddit stores video and audio as separate tracks. See Why Reddit Videos Download Without Sound for the fix.

Checklist: Validate Your Link in 30 Seconds

Before pasting into any Reddit downloader:

1. Does it contain /comments/, /gallery/, or is it a redd.it/ link? If not, recopy from the post itself.
2. Is there a post ID right after that segment? An empty path fails.
3. Does it open in a private/incognito window? Login-required pages fail for curl-x too.
4. Did you copy from Share or the address bar — not a subreddit or profile page?
5. Is the post still up? Deleted posts have nothing to extract.

If all five pass and curl-x still errors, wait a minute and retry — Reddit occasionally rate-limits automated requests.

What to Do After You Copy the Link

Once the URL is on your clipboard:

1. Open curl-x in your browser
2. Paste the link into the input field
3. Press Download — a single video or image shows one row; a gallery lists every photo separately
4. Save through your browser's normal download flow

If you'd rather skip the browser UI, curl-x's post pages stream the file directly to command-line clients: curl -OJ https://www.curl-x.com/r/<subreddit>/comments/<id> returns the media itself instead of the HTML page (no trailing slash). It reads galleries, Reddit-hosted video, and rehosted GIFs from the same input box you'd use for Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, or TikTok links — no separate tool per platform.

Only save public posts you have the right to reuse. Personal viewing is different from reposting elsewhere — check the subreddit's rules and the original poster's wishes before you republish anything.

FAQ: Copy Reddit Post Links

What's the difference between a redd.it link and a full reddit.com link?

None, functionally. redd.it/<id> resolves to the same post as reddit.com/r/<sub>/comments/<id>/…. curl-x reads the post ID out of either format directly, so there's no need to expand a short link before pasting it.

Does old.reddit.com work the same as new Reddit?

Yes. curl-x normalizes old.reddit.com and other Reddit subdomains to www.reddit.com before fetching, so a link copied from old.reddit works exactly like one copied from the redesigned site.

Why does my Reddit link say "invalid URL" in a downloader?

The most common causes: you copied a subreddit or profile link instead of a specific post, the subreddit is private or quarantined, or the post was deleted. Open the single post and copy the link from Share or the address bar again.

Can I paste a link with tracking parameters like ?utm_source=share?

Yes. curl-x strips the query string before parsing, so tracking parameters Reddit adds via the Share button don't affect extraction.

Can I copy a link to just one photo in a gallery?

Reddit galleries share one post link for every image. Paste that single URL into curl-x and each photo shows up as its own downloadable row. See How to Download a Reddit Gallery for the full walkthrough.

Bottom Line

The safest way to copy a Reddit link a downloader will accept is the Share button on the post itself, or the address bar once you're on the single-post page. Both give you a URL built around /comments/<id>, /gallery/<id>, or a redd.it/<id> short link — the shapes curl-x actually parses. Subreddit pages, profile pages, and search results aren't valid paste targets because they don't point at one piece of media. Get the right link, paste it into curl-x, and the video, image, or gallery downloads without opening the app.